Vertical ventilation diffuser system to reduce transmission of airborne particles

ABSTRACT

A novel and versatile vertical ventilation diffuser system to reduce transmission of airborne particles provides an harmful airborne particle nearly free indoor environment for one or multiple person to breathe, and to isolate and protect the personal space of a person by means of reducing the horizontal flow of air inside an enclosed space and transporting any possible harmful airborne particles, such as viruses, by means of a top down air flow. Thereby, a continuously clean environment is maintained by generating an air curtain around each person by means of a vertical ventilation diffuser system, which may be custom designed and sized for multiple types of suspended ceilings, or in standard sizes, with particular application in office, school, restaurant or concert hall settings. The versatile vertical ventilation diffuser system may further be implemented in a matrix configuration to promote the use of multiple users in a single indoor space.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present patent application claims the benefits of priority of commonly owned American Provisional Patent Application No. 63/058,201, entitled “VERTICAL VENTILATION DIFFUSER SYSTEM TO REDUCE TRANSMISSION OF AIRBORNE PARTICLES” and filed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Jul. 29, 2020.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the field of protecting people from airborne bacteria, virus, odor or any other harmful airborne particles by systems affecting airflow of an indoor space.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Due to pandemics and associated virus transmission, there may be strict regulations and minimum distance specifications when more than 1 (one) person get together either to eat at a restaurant, or to travel by bus, air, train or boat or simply stay within confined space. For example, with the Covid-19 virus epidemic, World Health Organisation recommends a minimum of 1.5-2 meters of spacing between persons which may be impossible to attain in many places or simply not desirable in others, like in a restaurant.

Furthermore, there is a growing concern by the World Health Organization and the doctors worldwide that the risk of aerosol spray of COVID-19 can be a significant mode of transmission in indoor spaces. Asymptomatic people may breathe out a cloud of particles comprising COVID-19 ones which may suspend and linger in mid-air long enough to infect other people.

Modern ventilation systems are usually designed to maximise the mixing of heated/air-conditioned/filtered/fresh air in enclosed spaces. This method of mixing mostly always has a horizontal flowing component that facilitates the transportation of COVID-19 particles from one part of the indoor space to another.

A new type of indoor ventilation in a vertical formation, rather than in a horizontal air flow, is needed to limit the transmission of airborne virus or other types of unwanted particles from one person to another in indoors spaces.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The objectives of this invention are as follows:

to significantly reduce horizontal air flow in an enclosed space by means of vertical air flow created by a “Vertical Ventilation Diffuser” (VVD) system;

to provide a harmful airborne particle nearly free environment for each individual to breathe by providing a matrix of multiple VVD;

to isolate and to protect the personal space of a person by means of an air curtain generated around a person by means of a specific air circulation system designed for each particular application such as in a school, office or a restaurant; and

to provide an exhaust air collection and discharge ambient air soiled by the other persons presence and breathing.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aforesaid and other objectives of the present invention are realized by generally providing a source of pressurized and filtered clean air, and by connecting that source of pressurized air to a special ventilation system which is adapted to be secured to a suspended ceiling frame. The system may further be comprised of many Vertical Ventilation Diffusers to create a matrix of air curtains between each person in a confined space thereby significantly reducing the horizontal travelling of unwanted aerosol particles and protecting each person from airborne disease, particulates, and so on before disposing the contaminated air through one or many exhaust outlets.

A ventilation diffuser system may be provided, the system comprising a ventilation diffuser, at least an air output expelling air from the ventilation diffuser and an air input providing air to the ventilation diffuser, the ventilation diffuser expelling a laminar air flow from the at least one air output, the laminar air flow configured to protect an inside air zone from outside particles. The ventilation diffuser may comprise an air chamber for accumulating air. The system may further comprise an air exhaust to recuperate air from the inside air zone. The system may further comprise a light source projected next to the laminar air flow to indicate boundaries of the laminar air flow. The system may further comprise a fan assembly, the fan assembly pulling air from the air input and pushing air through the at least one air output. The system may further comprise a fan assembly, the fan assembly pulling air from the at least one air output and pushing air through the air input. The system may further comprise a top plate and a bottom plate, the top and bottom plates supporting the ventilation diffuser. The system may further comprise a frame for supporting the ventilation diffuser. The inside air zone may have a diameter of 0.6 meters.

Further provided may be a ventilation diffuser matrix, the matrix comprising at least two ventilation diffuser systems, a frame, the frame supporting the ventilation diffuser systems next to one another, wherein each of the at least two ventilation diffuser systems comprise a ventilation diffuser, at least an air output, and an air input, the ventilation diffuser expelling a laminar air flow from the at least one air output, the laminar air flow configured to protect an inside air zone from outside particles. The matrix may further comprise at least an air exhaust for pulling the air from the inside air zones. The at least two ventilation diffuser systems may each comprise an air chamber for accumulating air. The at least two ventilation diffuser systems may each further comprise a light source projected next to the laminar air flow to indicate boundaries of the laminar air flow. The at least two ventilation diffuser systems may each further comprise a fan assembly, the fan assembly pulling air from the air input and pushing air through the at least one air output. The at least two ventilation diffuser systems may each further comprise a fan assembly, the fan assembly pulling air from the at least one air output and pushing air through the air input. The at least two ventilation diffuser systems may each further comprise a top plate and a bottom plate, the top and bottom plates supporting the ventilation diffuser. The inside air zone of each of the at least two ventilation diffuser systems may have a diameter of 0.6 meters.

The matrix may further comprise an air source and at least one octopus connector comprising an octopus input and at least two octopus outputs, wherein the octopus connector fluidly connects the at least two ventilation diffusers to the air source with the help of at least one tube.

This system is designed to isolate people in an enclosed space within a short distance from each other, thereby reducing the minimum social distance requirement needed to prevent the spread of virus within crowds whether that be an office, a classroom a performance hall, etc.

The Vertical Ventilation Diffuser system may be compared to traditional HVAC systems as follows:

VERTICAL TRADITIONAL VENTILATION HVAC SYSTEM SYSTEM Air Speed Low High Number of Diffusers Multiple Few (Usually One) Air Mixing Low High Horizontal Air Movement Low High Vertical Air Movement High High

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of the social distance necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19 virus as per the prior art.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a first embodiment of the vertical ventilation diffuser system.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of another embodiment of the vertical ventilation diffuser system assembly.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of another embodiment of the vertical ventilation diffuser system in a matrix assembly with suspended ceiling structure and components.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the vertical ventilation diffuser system.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the vertical ventilation diffuser system.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of an embodiment of the topography of the vertical ventilation diffuser system.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of an active Vertical Ventilation Diffuser.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A novel VERTICAL VENTILATION DIFFUSER SYSTEM will be described hereinafter.

Although the invention is described in terms of specific illustrative embodiment(s), it is to be understood that the embodiment(s) described herein are by way of example only and that the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited thereby.

A minimal distance is often recommended by health experts and requested by health authorities to prevent, or at least diminish, the risk of propagating unwanted airborne particles. For example, and as seen in FIG. 1, a minimal distance of two meters is required when facing a virus such as COVID-19.

A first embodiment of a vertical ventilation diffuser system 100 is presented in FIGS. 2 and 3 to allow two people to be less than 2 meters apart while still significantly reducing the airborne propagation of unwanted particles. In the embodiment shown, virus free clean and filtered air 5 may be projected around a person to create a laminar air profile 10 and to protect the same from external airborne particles. In this embodiment, the diameter of protection 15 is 0.6 meters, but may be smaller or larger if necessary. The ambient air 20 around a person, and inside the confines of the laminar air profile 10 may further be collected by an air exhaust 25 and may be filtered and recycled afterwards 27.

Shown in FIG. 3 is one vertical ventilation diffuser 100. As stated above, a clean air input 5 provides air for the diffuser 100 to project around an area. The projected air 10 forms a laminar air flow that will limit ambient external air to mix with air 20 situated inside the protected area. Adjacent to the laminar air flow 10, a light 30 may be projected downwards in order to visually mark the presence of said laminar air flow 10. An advantage of the invention is that the vertical ventilation diffuser 100 may be part of a matrix assembly, the matrix assembly comprising multiple vertical ventilation diffusers configured in a matrix format to allow multiple people to be indoors simultaneously. It may be applicable in public buildings, transportation settings and so on. An air exhaust 25 may further be located at the bottom of a safe air area to suck up used air. An air exhaust 25 may be used for more than one safe air zone.

In FIG. 4, the vertical ventilation diffuser system 100 is shown in a matrix assembly 200. It may be appreciated that each vertical ventilation diffuser 100 may have the shape of a commercially available ceiling diffuser. Thus, each vertical ventilation diffuser 100 may be secured to a commercially available suspended ceiling frame 35 already in place.

As can be seen in FIG. 5, a cross-sectional view of a vertical ventilation diffuser system 100 is installed on a suspended ceiling frame 35. The system 100 is further fluidly connected to a clean air input 5 which may accumulate into an air chamber 40 before being expelled from air outputs 45, such as air nozzles or any other type of output. The air 5 is expelled in a laminar profile 10 downwards from the vertical ventilation tile system 100. In other embodiments, light sources 30 may be added next to air outputs 45 to provide visual markers showing the limits of the laminated air profiles 10. It may be further appreciated that an embodiment of the system of FIG. 5 may have dimensions 50 of 24×24 inches, and these dimensions may vary in other embodiments.

In FIG. 6, a cross sectional view of yet another embodiment of the vertical ventilation diffuser 100 is shown. In this embodiment, the air chamber 40 does not expand on the other side of the output nozzle 45. It is to be understood that the air chamber 40 may have varying dimensions to fit with the dimensions of the ceiling frame 35 it is attached to. In an embodiment, the nozzle has an air output 45 having a diameter 55 of approximately 2 millimeters, an air chamber 40 having a thickness 60 of approximately 40 millimeters and side dimensions 50 of approximately 90 centimeters. Dimensions are not to be limited by said examples as they may be changed if necessary.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the air input 5 of each vertical ventilation diffuser 100 may be provided by an external clean air source 55. To facilitate the diffusion to multiple vertical ventilation diffusers 100 simultaneously from the same air source 55, a system of octopus connectors 60 may be employed. An octopus connector 60 generally has an input 65 and a plurality of outputs 70, wherein each input 65 and output 70 is designed to be fluidly connected to a tube 75 which may transport fluids and/or gazes. The number of outputs 70 may depend on the number of vertical air diffusers 100 and on the pressure from the air source 55. An output 70 of the octopus connector 60 may be blocked with any mean known in the art if it is not used. The octopus connectors 60 and associated tubes 75 to transport air may be made of any material known in the art. As such it may be of a flexible material to allow the installation in places where space is limited like in ceilings.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show yet another embodiment of a vertical ventilation diffuser 100. In this embodiment, the vertical ventilation diffuser 100 is considered active since it further propels air downwards, such as in an air curtain 10, with the help of a fan assembly 80. The fan assembly 80 may comprise any type of fan known in the art and is therefore not limited to axial or propeller fans only. The fan assembly 80 is located inside the confines of the vertical ventilation diffuser 100 and helps propelling air from the input towards the air outputs 45. In this embodiment, the air diffuser 100 may comprise two plates, a top 85 and a bottom one 90. The fan assembly 80 may be located between both plates (85, 90) and secured with the help of any fasteners known in the art, such as screws 95. While they may vary, the dimensions of the active vertical ventilation diffuser 100 are generally bigger in thickness in order to allow the installation of the fan assembly 80. For example, the thickness 105 of the diffuser 100 may be of 10 cm and the side dimensions 110 of 90 cm whereas the thickness 115 of the fan assembly 80 may be of 3 cm and the side dimensions 120 may be of 16 cm. The plates (85, 90) may also be made of any material known in the art, such as plastic or aluminum. Similarly, to previous embodiments, the active diffuser 100 may also comprise light sources 30 adjacent to air outputs 45.

In a further embodiment, the active vertical ventilation diffuser 100 may instead be fluidly connected to an air exhaust 25 and may thus suck in air. In this embodiment, the fan assembly 80 may rotate in the opposite direction as to allow opposite displacement of air from the previous embodiment.

While illustrative and presently preferred embodiment(s) of the invention have been described in detail hereinabove, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art. 

1) A ventilation diffuser system, the system comprising: a ventilation diffuser; at least an air output expelling air from the ventilation diffuser; and an air input providing air to the ventilation diffuser, the ventilation diffuser expelling a laminar air flow from the at least one air output, the laminar air flow configured to protect an inside air zone from outside particles. 2) The ventilation diffuser system of claim 1, the ventilation diffuser comprising an air chamber for accumulating air. 3) The ventilation diffuser system of claim 1, the system further comprising an air exhaust to recuperate air from the inside air zone. 4) The ventilation diffuser system of claim 1, the system further comprising a light source projected next to the laminar air flow to indicate boundaries of the laminar air flow. 5) The ventilation diffuser system of claim 1, the system further comprising a fan assembly, the fan assembly pulling air from the air input and pushing air through the at least one air output. 6) The ventilation diffuser system of claim 1, the system further comprising a fan assembly, the fan assembly pulling air from the at least one air output and pushing air through the air input. 7) The ventilation diffuser system of claim 1, the system further comprising a top plate and a bottom plate, the top and bottom plates supporting the ventilation diffuser. 8) The ventilation diffuser system of claim 1, the system further comprising a frame for supporting the ventilation diffuser. 9) The ventilation diffuser system of claim 1, the inside air zone having a diameter of 0.6 meters. 10) A ventilation diffuser matrix, the matrix comprising: at least two ventilation diffuser systems; a frame, the frame supporting the ventilation diffuser systems next to one another, wherein each of the at least two ventilation diffuser systems comprise: a ventilation diffuser; at least an air output; and an air input, the ventilation diffuser expelling a laminar air flow from the at least one air output, the laminar air flow configured to protect an inside air zone from outside particles. 11) The ventilation diffuser matrix of claim 10, the matrix further comprising at least an air exhaust for pulling the air from the inside air zones. 12) The ventilation diffuser matrix of claim 10, the at least two ventilation diffuser systems each comprising an air chamber for accumulating air. 13) The ventilation diffuser matrix of claim 10, the at least two ventilation diffuser systems each further comprising a light source projected next to the laminar air flow to indicate boundaries of the laminar air flow. 14) The ventilation diffuser matrix of claim 10, the at least two ventilation diffuser systems each further comprising a fan assembly, the fan assembly pulling air from the air input and pushing air through the at least one air output. 15) The ventilation diffuser matrix of claim 10, the at least two ventilation diffuser systems each further comprising a fan assembly, the fan assembly pulling air from the at least one air output and pushing air through the air input. 16) The ventilation diffuser matrix of claim 10, the at least two ventilation diffuser systems each further comprising a top plate and a bottom plate, the top and bottom plates supporting the ventilation diffuser. 17) The ventilation diffuser matrix of claim 10, the inside air zone of each of the at least two ventilation diffuser systems having a diameter of 0.6 meters. 18) The vertical ventilation matrix of claim 10, the matrix further comprising: an air source; and at least one octopus connector comprising an octopus input and at least two octopus outputs, wherein the octopus connector fluidly connects the at least two ventilation diffusers to the air source with the help of at least one tube. 